


Recovery

by Anonymous



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Aftercare, Androids Have Genitalia (Detroit: Become Human), Author is making this up as she goes, Bottom Upgraded Connor | RK900, CyberLife (Detroit: Become Human) is Terrible, Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Dom/sub, Don’t worry we got that explicit consent too, Eventual Sex, First Time, Foreplay, Gavin Reed Being Less of an Asshole, Gavin is a Cat Dad, Gavin is experienced in sex and Nines isn’t, Gay Sex, Gradual introduction to kinks, Hair Pulling Kink, Hank is best dad, Hank is the RKs’ father figure, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jericho is back bitches, Kink notices will be posted in chapter notes, Lesbian Tina Chen, Light Bondage, M/M, Mild Kink, Mildly Dubious Consent, Minor canon divergence, Nines is lowkey scared he’ll mess up, Nines likes cats, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Post-Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Rough Kissing, Safe Sane and Consensual, Safeword Use, Sexual Tension, Shower Sex, Smut, Teasing, The Author Regrets Nothing and Everything, Tina Chen & Gavin Reed Friendship, Top Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has Feelings, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Is Bad at Feelings, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Needs a Hug, Upgraded Connor | RK900 is called "Nines", Vanilla at first, no beta we die like men, this is absolute shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:08:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22096885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: EDIT: The Connor/Sixty idea is being developed into its own book.We seriously need more Top!Gavin.Anyways...After cracking a particularly tough case, partners Gavin and Nines are gifted a week of leave from work to collect their bearings. To most’s surprise, Nines was, in fact, the one who had been jarred the most by the grueling case andneededthe time off to both physically and mentally recover.Over the course of their partnership, there has been some obvious romantic and sexual tension with either side being too much of a pussy to initiate or continue any acts. Given the opportunity due to Nines’ affection-craving nature during his recovery, Gavin decides to take the initiative and see just how far things can go (of course, only with the other’s consent, that is).
Relationships: Background Tina Chen/ST300 Android, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 8
Kudos: 64
Collections: Anonymous





	1. 01 | Haywire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is unedited and will be fixed up soon!
> 
> Fyi, the quality of my writing gets better eventually. 
> 
> Edit: Minor edits made
> 
> Edit 2: Typos fixed.

**SYSTEMS ALERT! SYSTEMS ALERT!**

Large, bolded letters crowded the android’s visual feed like an angry swarm of locusts, snuffing the life of the world out of existence until he were to swat away those pesky things. However, the more he swiped the alerts away, the more popped back up, soon rendering the overlapping letters a jumbled mess of incoherency. 

**SYSTEMS OVERHEATING: 85%**

**FORCED REBOOT IN 10:56**

****

**ALERT HANDLER AND RETURN TO CYBERLIFE FOR MAINTENANCE**

****

“Nines? Nines?!” a voice broke through, but the android was far too preoccupied with his current predicament to pay attention or supply a response. 

****

“What’s going on?! Talk to me!!” it continued to demand. There was no missing the quivering present within the weak thing, but still, the owner received no viable response from who it was beckoning. 

****

**FORCED REBOOT IN 5:10**

****

“Only a minute passed... ” Nines, the afflicted android, hadn’t even realized that he had uttered those soft words aloud, his HUD crammed with millions of distractors all begging for his attention, kneeling with their hands clasped together, glistening tears threatening to fall down those wicked little faces. He _needed_ an out. He _needed_ someone to _rip_ him away from the overwhelming screen of hostile crimson typing before he collapsed from the sheer amount of stress; he was no human, but his perception of himself had been altered to the point where he felt practically weightless and painfully wobbly, like a tiny little leaf that was at the mercy of the sway of the wind.

****

Hands gripped his shoulders, fingertips digging into the artificial flesh beneath the unforgiving fabric of his uniform. The pressure, when noticed, further threatened to throw him over the rugged edge of the razor-lined canyon, the added external stimulus adding to his already existing overstimulation. He took a quick, uncoordinated step backwards, nearly falling over in the process. As he reaffirmed his grasp on his sense of balance, the sound of his rapid artificial breaths suddenly became far too apparent for his liking; each inhale and exhale echoed loudly in his auditory processors, only increasing his desire to jump out of his own build. 

****

“Nines,” the voice came much softer that time, “what's wrong? You need to talk to me if you want help.” 

****

Still, he couldn’t muster the strength enough to allow his systems to formulate a fitting reply nor could he even fathom parting his lips ever so slightly, his jaw locked so firmly in place. 

****

“Fine, you give me no choice, Tin Can,” it huffed. Before his advanced mind was able to completely digest the other’s words, the sensation of a hard slap upon his cheek startled him. Ever since his initial deviation, he observed that he could feel small hints of pain, but because it was beyond the contents of his original programming to do so, he never experienced it to the magnitude that the humans seemed to. (Being incapable of doubling over in pain seemed like a blessing, but was only being able to experience those tiny, annoying stings, aches, and pricks much better?) Therefore, that forceful action elicited a horrid _stinging_ , and fortunately caused his visual feed to clear in a programmed response designed to allow him to adequately defend himself against his attacker without hinderance. 

****

Once he noticed the other’s eyes finally start to focus, the familiar human was quick to shrink away, folding in on himself and raising his arms up in a feeble attempt at defending himself. “Please don’t kill me.” 

****

“Detective Reed? What’s going on?” Confused eyes bore into the detective’s, the slight quirking of a brow completing the picture. 

****

“We just left the scene of a murder and you started bugging out.” No prominent emotion graced his stubble-ridden face. However, that blank slate didn't remain so devoid for long; in moments, the harsh, clipped edges to his demeanor and tone softened considerably. “Are you okay?” 

****

**SYSTEMS OVERHEATING: 88%**

****

**FORCED REBOOT IN 4:33**

********

**ALERT HANDLER AND RETURN TO CYBERLIFE FOR MAINTENANCE**

********

Unbeknownst to Nines, his companion watched him instinctively flinch and his eyes go wide as the alert flashed before him, rimmed with an intense fear that surpassed that of even some of the most anxiety-ridden humans he had encountered. “No, I’m not. You need to take me back to CyberLife.” Desperation weaved its way through each and every word, the only piece to the picture missing being the clasping of his hands and shedding of tears. 

********

**ADVANCED REPORT ↓**

********

**BALANCE: 45% ↡**

********** **

**INTERIOR TEMPERATURE: 156° ↟**

************ ** **

**ALERTNESS: 78% ↡**

************** ** ** **

**HUD PROCESSING: 67% ↡**

**************** ** ** ** **

**STRESS: 98% ↟**

**************** ** ** ** **

“NINES!” 

**************** ** ** ** **

The android’s attention quickly snapped away from the report he was reading, his optical sensors landing on the human once more. 

**************** ** ** ** **

“What’s wrong?” he asked, brows furrowed and arms crossed firmly over his chest. 

**************** ** ** ** **

“My stress level and interior temperature is too high for optimal functioning and both are still climbing,” Nines reported, uncannily stoic and composed per usual. It was as if someone had flipped a switch in his mind, forcing the frantic being away and bringing forth the harsh giant; to say the human wasn’t perturbed by that would be a grandiose lie. 

**************** ** ** ** **

“Can you stop either from getting worse?” he inquired. 

**************** ** ** ** **

“Not on my own, however, there’s nothing to fret about. I will be rebooting in three minutes and thirty seconds so, everything should return to normal soon,” Nines answered, seemingly unbothered by the rising numbers and plausible risk for things to worsen. Keeping anxiety at bay was something he was accustomed to doing, but he could only hold back the flood for so long until the water either spilled up, over the concrete dam or sent the reinforced walls crumbling down. 

**************** ** ** ** **

“And I’m never going to take you back to CyberLife. I’ll take you to Jericho, but never there,” he stated, demeanor holding a stern air. “Haven’t you heard the reports? You’re free, but there have been rumors of CyberLife destroying and replacing deviants when sent in for repairs. CyberLife is no longer an option; I’m not risking it.” 

**************** ** ** ** **

“Are you saying that you care about me?” At that moment, the detective regretted teaching him human jokes, which of course had been taught through his own actions. 

**************** ** ** ** **

“No, of course not. You could go die in a hole for all I care,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. 

**************** ** ** ** **

However, Nines saw right through his tough-guy exterior. “Is that so? Then, take me to CyberLife.” 

**************** ** ** ** **

“I already said I wasn’t going to do that. And stop being such an annoying prick, Dipshit,” he shot back. 

**************** ** ** ** **

**INTERIOR TEMPERATURE: 178° ↟**

**************** ** ** ** **

Nines’ eyes went wide immediately. “Gavin. You have to take me somewhere. If my temperature reaches the critical level before the reboot ensues, there will be substantial damage.” 

**************** ** ** ** **

“Will throwing you in a bathtub full of ice water work?” 

**************** ** ** ** **

Nines was not amused. “Even if it would work, I don’t have time enough to wait.” 

**************** ** ** ** **

**FORCED REBOOT IN RECALCULATING**

**************** ** ** ** **

**SYSTEMS ALERT!**

****************** ** ** ** ** **

**—BALANCE: 23% ↡**

******************** ** ** ** ** ** **

**—INTERIOR TEMPERATURE: 195° ↟**

********************** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

**—HUD PROCESSING: 41% ↡**

************************ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

**—STRESS: 99% -**

************************ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

“What do you want me to do?!” he demanded, his own trepidation starting to transform into frustration. 

************************ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

“You have to damage me enough to engage my Self-Preservation Module. That’s the only thing that can force a reboot in time. However, you have to be careful; if you destroy a specific set of biocomponents, a shutdown will follow, resulting in the equivalent of a human demise. And once I start rebooting, you must to take me to Jericho for repairs,” Nines explained, wringing his hands as he spoke, an unusual behavior that Gavin was not careless enough to miss. 

************************ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

“I can’t do that! You’re asking the impossible,” he countered. His stomach tightened and twisted itself into a painfully elaborate knot whenever he just merely thought about willingly harming his partner. 

************************ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

“Then get someone else to shoot me, dammit!” 

************************ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

**STRESS: 99.5% ↟**

************************ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

To the human’s dismay, the rest of the crew were long gone, eager to turn in their collected evidence for proper analysis. _Fan-fucking-tastic._ “Fine. What areas do I have to avoid?” 

************************ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

“Head, left side of chest, and abdomen.” Nines was terrified to be shot at, the crippling fear of his own tangible death winding into his mind like a nefarious vine, squeezing the synthetic component there. 

************************ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Vile bile rose into the detective's throat as he pulled out his gun from its holster and checked to make sure it was loaded. After cocking the pistol, he took in a shaky inhale to ensure his composure before firing. The first bullet tore through the android’s arm, the wincing of the android following the impact sending a knife into Gavin’s heart. He continued to fire a few more bullets despite himself, the last lodging itself into Nines’ left flank. Nines was quick to clasp his side, thirium oozing out from the wound and slithering out past his fingers and eventually dripping onto the lifeless, gray ground; that same vital fluid trickled down his arm, seeped into the fabric of his uniform, and after he let out a wretched sounding cough, it began to leak out past his lips, behaving like syrup as it traveled down his chin and neck. Because of the damage, Nines collapsed shortly after. Immediately, Gavin rushed over to his companion, liquid culpability raining down his face and blurring his vision as he began to wrap the heavily bleeding wounds with a makeshift tourniquet crafted from his jacket. Then, he carefully placed Nines in the back seat of his cruiser and sped away to Jericho, inwardly _praying_ that he hadn’t just sentenced his comrade to death. 

_What have I done?_ was all that rung within his skull, it’s constant verbatim chanting threatening to shove him over the edge, henceforth forcing him to spiral down into the unchartered inky depths of utter disquietude. 

************************ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **


	2. 02 | Demeanor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dialogue heavy chapter that has yet to be properly edited!
> 
> Fluff (we'll get to the sin soon enough) 
> 
> Also, be sure to click on the hyperlink. You won't regret it.
> 
> Edit: Minimal revisions made
> 
> Edit 2: Section added

It was no surprise that after their eventful two days--one spent for the initial investigation and the other taken up by Gavin waiting for Nines to be pronounced well enough to leave the medical bay of Jericho--both parties were exhausted in their respective ways. As soon as he entered his apartment, Gavin went to his bedroom and crashed on the floor a foot away from his actual mattress while Nines entered a lengthy period of stasis in order to smoothen his recovery once he sat upon his favorite spot on the sofa. The duo had practically lived together ever since receiving their partner assignment, but they didn't actually start peaceably coexisting until a couple months into their partnership; glares eventually softened into smiles, bickering morphed into small talk, and absolute avoidance eased into occasional snuggling. The one thing that did change as of recent was the frequency of cuddling and the reactions to it; instead of it just happening when Gavin unknowingly fell asleep on the sofa beside Nines, they'd willingly spend time talking to each other within close proximity and would wake with warm smiles and no longer with strings of profanities, blushing, and flustered anger. They were growing to enjoy each other's presence, but were not anything akin to a couple, at least not yet. 

When Gavin finally awoke from his floor, his hair a hilariously disheveled mess, and walked out into the main living space of his cozy apartment, he was rather surprised to see Nines sitting rigidly upright on the sofa, his LED a white mixed with a sliver of pale blue, indicating that he was in stasis. One of his beloved fuzzballs, Socks, was sprawled out in the android's lap, eyes closed and pale pink nose periodically twitching as she slept. A soft smile swept away the previous startlement to his expression, his heart cooing at the adorable scene; he would've taken a photo if Nines wouldn't trap him against the wall, pining him in place with a threatening stare until he deleted the picture. He wasn't going to lie and say he didn't enjoy the adrenaline rush from the close quarters and display of dominance during those few moments in time, but he would rather not have his wrist be broken yet again; plus, although he was a twink, he preferred to be in control [ in more ways than one ](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f2ba8062-2af0-49dc-b72f-9a7203f6e9ed/dce2pd9-f2b7e883-4e83-44ec-928b-a1c767a45961.gif?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwic3ViIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTpmaWxlLmRvd25sb2FkIl0sIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiIvZi9mMmJhODA2Mi0yYWYwLTQ5ZGMtYjcyZi05YTcyMDNmNmU5ZWQvZGNlMnBkOS1mMmI3ZTg4My00ZTgzLTQ0ZWMtOTI4Yi1hMWM3NjdhNDU5NjEuZ2lmIn1dXX0._JNkWrGfdNNGVv6g2WrluUW7zCuo5q2qwPHYGcd2RQs). 

Then, of course, his phone had to start buzzing from within his pocket. He momentarily thanked himself for silencing his phone earlier because if the ringer had been on, it would've been sure to wake up Socks if not both her and Nines. He was quick to re-enter his bedroom, softly closing the door behind him as to limit the amount of noise that could potentially wake either. 

“Hello? Detective Gavin Reed here,” he answered. He hadn’t bothered to check the caller ID before accepting the call and hopefully so not to his misfortune. 

“Where the _fuck_ have you two been?!” The voice undeniably belonged to Fowler, to Gavin’s dismay. He wasn’t really in the proper mindset to deal with the Captain, but if he were to just hang up, it could result in several unfavorable consequences. 

“Nice to see you too, Captain Fowler,” Gavin grumbled. “Nines went berserk and needed repairs so, I took him to Jericho. We haven’t been just skipping out on work if that’s what you’re thinking.” 

There was a brief pause from the other end of the line. “Why didn’t you tell me ahead of time?” 

“I was kinda preoccupied with Nines.” If Fowler were anyone else, Gavin probably would’ve been severely chastised for his disrespect, but due to his experience with dealing with the shithead, the Captain had learned it was advisable to pick and choose his battles if he didn’t wish to go mad. 

“How is he doing? How are you doing?” All traces of that previous fury had entirely disappeared, faded away into nothingness. 

“I’m okay, I guess, if waking up on your floor counts as being fine; still a little shaky, but it’s nothing new. I don’t know about Nines though. He’s in his robo-sleep mode or whatever it’s called right now, and I don’t wish to bother him,” Gavin explained, remaining nonchalant. 

“Ah. Well, I’ll let you be. You two have the week off, but I’m expecting a full report of what happened from Nines upon your return.” 

“Fair,” Gavin huffed, rubbing away the last traces of sleep from his eyes. 

“Have a nice rest of your day, and tell Nines that I wish him well,” Fowler concluded. 

“Will do. See ya,” Gavin replied, turning the speaker of his phone away for a second as he yawned. 

“Take care.” With that, the phone call ended, leaving a still groggy Gavin standing in his dark room, the small slivers of sunlight that seeped in past his blinds being the only source of illumination. 

Eventually, he decided to go back out into the main living space of his dwelling, setting his phone upon the counter that stood before the kitchenette. Careful as to not wake him, he sat beside Nines on the sofa and slowly eased his head onto his shoulder, letting out yet another long yawn. Running on two hours of sleep the previous week sure had taken a toll on him, the effects only amplified due to the added stress of the past two days. It was highly plausible that once comfortable enough, he could sleep at least a full 24 hours if not longer; however, Gavin was ironically enough not the one to do so. 

  


* * *

  


Nines finally exited stasis after a full day of rest and was greeted by the smiling face of Gavin, who was leaning his back against him as he mindlessly scrolled through his social media. “Have a nice beauty rest?” 

“Yes.” Nines didn’t bother to meddle with his insistence upon denominating things with informal names. “Everything should be fully operational now. However, it might take a day or two to completely recalibrate.” 

“Fowler wishes you well,” Gavin stated, gaze drifting back to his phone. “He called me while you were asleep or whatever. Also, he gave us the week off, but expects a comprehensive report about what happened from you when we return.” 

Nines nodded in response and, although it wasn’t needed, yawned as he reacquainted himself with his familiar surroundings. He had gotten used to preforming those human-like actions over the course of his deviancy, which Gavin couldn’t help but find endearing. 

“How long have I been in stasis?” Nines inquired, slightly adjusting his rigid posture. 

“A day or so. You went out like a light as soon as we got back from Jericho.” Gavin still wasn’t looking at him, attention fixated upon a post Tina made an hour ago: a captioned photo of her and her android girlfriend of two years enjoying the falling snow out in one of the local parks. 

As to not invade his privacy, Nines refrained from asking what he was looking at, just keeping to himself as his optical sensors took in the cozily familiar environment. 

“How can people be out and about at this hour?” Gavin grumbled, gesturing towards the image upon his phone screen. 

“Gavin, it’s a quarter past noon,” Nines reminded. He shot only a quick glance at the post, but that was all he needed to conduct a proper analysis. 

“So? It’s still too early,” Gavin insisted, going back to scrolling through the mundane announcements in his Instagram feed. 

"If you say so," Nines sighed, bringing his hands to his lap. 

"I _do_ say so." 

"Tina and Raina looked content in that picture. I'm glad that their relationship is working out," Nines observed. There was a sliver of something simliar to pride evident within his otherwise matter-of-fact tone. 

"Yeah, me too. Tina's been with a lot of shitty women; she deserves the peace she finds within Raina," Gavin agreed, turning off his phone and leaning his head back, resting it upon Nines' shoulder. 

Nines nodded. "May I ask you a personal question?" 

"Fire away," Gavin limply said, loosely clasping his hands together. 

"'Fire away'? What--" 

"It's an expression. Stop dwelling on it," the detective intruded. If Nines hadn't grown accustomed to his snippy nature, he probably would've been hurt by his abrupt intrusion. 

"Have _you_ been in any romantic relationships?" Despite the fact that the two had been partners for a considerable amount of time, the subject matter of Gavin's exes hadn't ever come up, even in their more obscure conversations. 

"Yeah, all of them ended pretty poorly though. There's only so long that someone can stand an asshole like me. I'm actually surprised that I haven't driven you insane with my antics," Gavin answered simply. "Why are you asking?" 

"Just wondering," Nines replied, his glowing blue LED flickering a few times. "And I can assure you that you are not as bad as you give yourself credit for; stop bragging about a quality that you do not possess." 

Gavin tilted his head up to look at Nines, blinking a few times to display just how dumbfounded he was. "Wow. That's surely a backwards compliment if I've ever heard one." 

"You're welcome." The smugness to the android's expression was _uncanny_. "Permission to ask another question?" 

"Go ahead." Honestly, Gavin hardly cared about what he asked and if he did happen to tread upon shaky ground, he'd be quick to shut his query down. 

"Is it true that you are a homosexual?" Gavin immediately tensed at that question, but not because it was a sore subject; he was just bewildered by how he knew that. It wasn't like they routinely discussed his sexual orientation nor did it ever come up in conversation. 

"Yes," Gavin replied with a suspicious nod. "How did you know that?" 

"I was there when Connor slammed his fists on his desk and screamed, 'Gavin Reed is gay!'," Nines explained. "Do you wish me to replay the moment?" 

"Oh, and no, I'd rather not relive my public embarrassment nor the moment shortly after where Hank shoved me to the ground before I could push Connor out the window." 

_That’s what he was trying to do?_

Nines' reaction was something Gavin would've never expected: he started _laughing_ , not chuckling, but full-on laughing his ass off. As his beautiful chortling filled the apartment, the human couldn't help but allow a small smile of sorts to upturn his lips. 

"You found that funny?" Gavin's brow quirked up with the inflection of his semi-rhetorical inquiry; it was more of a playful jab than anything else. 

Nines could only nod as his humor controlled his actions and soon enough, he had brought his hands to clasp over his mouth, trying to muffle his bout as he attempted to coax himself to knock it off. A faint blue hue then tinted his cheeks as he failed to quiet himself and despite his internalized wishes, his partner had noticed, a grin immediately contorting his demeanor once he did so. 

"Embarrassed, are we now?" he teased, that sleazy grin of his widening as the tint became more prominent. 

"Shut the fuck up," Nines managed to squeeze out. However, Gavin's quip did not get his laughter to cease, but something else did, a later action carried out by his partner: a quick kiss to the cheek followed by the shameless utterance of, "You're adorable," to be precise. Instantaneously, he had fallen silent, his brows raised and blue irises wide. 

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Gavin leered, his grin turning into something more akin to that of a smirk. His random surge of confidence was a force that came from unknown depths, but he still welcomed the rush all the while, enjoying the blissful freedom that it allotted him. Hell, if he got that reaction every time, he'd be sure to try his hardest to embarrass his poor partner more often. 

"No. Your cats are not even on the sofa," Nines finally said, his eyes staring out aimlessly, LED blinking as he struggled to understand the true meaning behind his words. 

Gavin deadpanned. "It's an expression, Dipshit." 

"What does it mean?" 

"It... I-I don't know how to properly explain it. Look it up, your brain _is_ connected to the Internet, right?" Gavin stammered, looking elsewhere as he failed to formulate an answer. 

"Yes, it is," Nines said, promptly putting that functionality to good use. 

“Okay, my turn to ask questions,” Gavin suddenly declared. His authoritative tone stole Nines’ attention almost immediately, drawing him out from his sanctum of bewildering human idioms and metaphors. “What caused you to malfunction so terribly back at the scene? Is it something that you came in contact with? Did the AX400 have some... airborne virus or something?” 

To save Gavin from voicing aloud any more of his foolishly outlandish theories, Nines explained, “I’m not entirely sure, but I did not come in contact with anything lethal nor did I contract a virus. The dismemberment was rather messily done, none of the cuts precise enough to be carried out by the hands of a mastermind so, whoever had killed her most certainly didn’t have the time to create something as impossible as an airborne android virus.” Captured images of the investigation flooded back to his visual feed, immersing him back into that creaking house that had fallen into grave disrepair. 

**TEMPERATURE: 86° ↟**

**STRESS: 76% ↟**

“You’re a deviant; deviants are capable of feeling emotions and some forms of pain. Are you sure you weren’t just bothered by the mission because the victim was an android murdered brutally out of pure hatred?” Gavin concluded, the inflection to his voice signifying his uncertainty. “I mean, if I were in your spot, I probably would’ve been shaking in my boots, terrified out of my goddamn mind. Did stress cause the initial reaction and it just spiraled out of control?” 

Nines felt _painfully_ stupid for not even pondering that possibility. Quickly, he reviewed the footage he had taken from that day and internally placed a panel displaying his vitals beside the unfolding scene. Eventually, he found himself concurring. “It seems that was the case.” 

“Ah. Then, we just gotta work on your coping mechanisms for stress, fear, and all that jazz.” Gavin then allowed his head to loll backwards, a lazy smile sprawled across his face. 

Once Nines' gaze caught his, the smallest intimation of a genuine smile made itself visible within the android's inclement, perturbed demeanor.

"You should smile more often." 

"Why?" Nines questioned, head leaning more towards one side than the other. 

"It suits you," was all he received as an elaboration. 


	3. 03 | Boundaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will take a step closer to the eventual smut. Don't worry, the actual sin will come ;)
> 
> Slight experimentation (not scientific experimentation, but like seeing what your partner likes and doesn't like; attempting to uncover a few turn offs and turn ons basically).
> 
> Kinks: You can find hints of an existing praise kink if you squint hard enough. Also, mild mentions of a hair pulling and pain kink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who don’t know, the terms “motor skills” and “motor functioning/functions” do not directly refer to actual motors. Motor skills are learned abilities to intentionally cause a predetermined movement and are split into two categories: gross (larger movements; i.e. running) and fine (smaller movements; i.e. buttoning a shirt). Motor functioning refers to the ability to preform such motor skills.  
> (I only know this because I’m interested in pervasive and other developmental disorders and conditions.) 
> 
> Let me know if anything is confusing or repetitive. I’ve been reading a lot of How-tos on the genre since I’m fairly new to erotica overall and they all suggest limiting the use of epithets: A descriptor that is usually paired with “the” (i.e. the detective, the bird, et cetera), and encourage the use of pronouns and names instead. This is a new tactic I’m trying to incorporate into my writing, making my execution of it sloppy at best, and since both characters are males, it sometimes can get a little hard to distinguish who is doing what. I’ve tried to minimize the amount of potential confusion by keeping the possibility for such misinterpretation in mind when creating scenes, but I’m most certainly not perfect nor do I claim to be.
> 
> Fyi, I added a part to the second chapter so, yeah, I advise checking that out. I’ll get to editing soon and will let you know if anything major is changed. These chapters are practically first drafts so, they’re shit. 
> 
> Thanks so much for the kudos and comments! :)

The first couple days were spent with both resting for the majority of the time. Nines, however, had been far more active than Gavin since he wanted to regain complete control over his motor functions as soon as possible; he didn't exactly feel comfortable stuck helpless and stiff on a daily basis. He didn't do much more than pace or walk up and down the stairs outside of the apartment though so, he was still allowing himself to be lazy, but in his tailored fashion. On the other hand, Gavin hardly moved from the sofa, only doing so to fetch food, drinks, and visit the lavatory. A hidden part of himself had wished for Nines to linger at his side for longer intervals, but he couldn't blame his partner for wanting to consolidate his stability; plus, he'd be lying if he said he hadn't found it quite amusing to watch the android stumble and fall during the beginning stages of his so called "Self-Recalibration" and "Self-Restoration of Motor Functions". 

While mindlessly watching Nines from the plush furnishing, he _did_ observe one thing that he had previously either been too careless to notice or had just simply been intentionally tucked away from his watchful gaze. Connor, even after deviation, still occasionally fiddled with his trusty coin from time to time, often times resulting in Hank plucking it out of his grasp in moments. Relatedly, Nines seemed to possess a tactic for quick recalibration himself, but it had nothing to do with messing with a coin. Instead, he seemed to repeat a specific set of actions in a certain order to receive that affect, those consisting of clenching and unclenching his fists, pacing (though Gavin wasn't quite sure whether or not it fell under that category or was just done to solidify his weakened sense of balance), and concerningly enough, methodically toying with a pocket-sized butterfly knife, exactly in that order. He did, of course, preform other smaller tasks outside of that routine, but that sequence of motions seemed to be the only thing that harbored a consistent pattern. Since he seemed sort of secretive in a sense about it, Gavin decided to not mention it, shrugging it off as one of his "weird android behaviors". 

On the third day, Gavin had noticed something unusual: Nines seemed uncharacteristically antsy, alert, restless, and overly tense, nearly jumping out of his own skin at the slightest of scuffles. The motive behind the worrisome way he was conducting himself was unknown to Gavin, leaving him to only assume that the weight of the previous events had finally started to get to him, he was just simply bored, or maybe he was directing self-tests of his various functions as an investigative machine to ensure that everything was in proper working order. Androids were a mystery to the detective, always had been from the start and would most likely remain that way for the rest of life. Seriously, how was it even possible for robots to become self-aware and sentient? From a scientific perspective, how did that work? He had no answers for himself nor was he going to spend his time scrupulously combing through every article on deviancy and Science Fiction he could find when he could slouch on the sofa instead, searching through his social media to find something interesting to temporarily entertain him. 

By the time the evening strolled around, Nines had settled down beside Gavin, presumably content with the progress he had made in fine tuning his motor skills. _He_ then laid his head against his partner’s shoulder, fundamentally snuggling into his side, an action that most certainly earned Gavin’s attention. Over the couple days prior, Nines had seemed as if he wanted very little to do with his human companion, but now that he had successfully sorted out the last few things within his system, he felt as if he had an adequate amount of time to spend with Gavin. 

“Tired?” was all he had to say as he set his phone aside and wrapped an arm around the android’s waist. He hadn’t done much of anything, but he could still use a nap (though he wouldn’t hesitate to take a nap at the drop of a pin on any given day if offered).

“Androids don’t get tired.” 

“To hell with that! Just look at yourself,” Gavin remarked. “It’s not everyday that you willingly come up to me in need of cuddles.” 

Nines shrugged. “Perhaps I just want to be held. I can wish to do so without being tired, right?” 

“I guess so,” Gavin replied with a small nod. “Any specific reason as to why though?”

“No,” he simply said. Slowly, he moved to nestle his face into the crook of Gavin’s neck, immediately relaxing into the comfort of their closeness. 

Gavin nearly shuddered at the sensation of Nines’ surprisingly warm breath against his skin. He then removed his free hand from the armrest of the sofa and brought the inside of his palm to ghost the flesh of Nines’ cheek, who, in return, eased himself into the curvature of his palm, wholeheartedly inviting the tender caress, his eyes fluttering shut beneath the pressure. The gentle, lively heat of Gavin’s skin bled into his sensors, and once his thumb began to lightly brush the arch of his cheekbone, an inner sense of stillness began to seep out from its initial pool, gradually weaving its way across every artificial synapse until his entire being was engulfed in that pleasant, grounding feeling, the human as his anchor to reality. 

The pressure lingered, but the tiny strokes of his thumb eventually ceased. If Nines hadn’t known better than to do so, he would’ve pouted at the loss. 

“Do you like this?” 

“If I didn’t, you’d know.” Tiny tendrils of annoyance sneaked their way into his stoic tone. 

Gavin had to trust his word on that one. His hand remained upon Nines’ cheek for a few moments longer before he decided to draw it away, slow in his retreat. Bewildered, Nines let his eyes reopen, brows furrowed as he tried to piece together his next moves. For once, however, his preconstruction capability had failed him. Sure, perhaps he could’ve expected Gavin to unwrap his arm from around his waist to shift his position, but he had been painfully caught off guard when he cupped his hands on either side of his face, staring deep into his icy irises as his lips hovered just over his. In all honesty, Nines should’ve prepared himself for the inevitable, but the need to do so had never crossed his mind, his optical processors too intrigued by Gavin’s captivating hazel eyes and sensors too preoccupied with fully taking in the tactile input of semi-calloused hands set firmly upon his face and the tingling that followed the sensation of hot breaths brushing against his lips. 

Gavin was no stranger to intimate acts, making it practically impossible for him to not pick up on the subtle way Nines froze beneath his grasp and his automated breaths hitched when he became out of his element, leaving his partner to be in complete control of the situation. Albeit the minor reactions he exhibited could easily be interpreted as fear, Gavin had rose to the status of detective for a reason: Call it whatever you may, but he was notorious for never making a conclusion upon first--or even the hundredth--glance, denoting everything that appeared to be merely superficial until handed enough proof to sate his skepticism, and could easily see past that possibility, deducing that he was trapped in state of an exhilarated anticipation, the leisurely pace he was taking evoking a sense of overwhelming suspense, the kind that made one's stomach clench and heartrate spike. At the arrival of his verdict, a sinful grin snaked its way into his expression, pleased to find that he had been able to produce the desired affect via his languid advances. 

Passionate lips were quick to capture Nines', the roughness sending a jolt of something akin to electric fire through his circuitry. The gentle gesture, laced with significant traces of heat, was not shy in producing a flood of shockingly perverse desires that swiftly overtook his thoughts, their only goal being to be surfeited. 

Due to being mentally unequipped, he opted for utter stillness, his motive partly being the worriment of somehow putting Gavin off with a misplaced move.

Gavin eventually receded, but not before leaving a playful nip on Nines' bottom lip, an action that induced the sharp intake of an unneeded breath. Skin brushing against skin, a breathy whisper departed, flirtatiously promising, "Relax. I'm going to take care of you." 

Nines' skin crawled, a shiver instinctively shooting up his spine. At that moment, logic and sensical algorithms began to be obstructed by a dense haze of foreign want, a yearning so unfamiliar it was _invigorating_. There was something euphoric about hanging onto each and every slothful movement and silky utterance, submissively awaiting the next without the intention of being a hindrance. 

"Just _relax_ ," nimble fingers danced across his shoulders in a graceful flurry, "you're in good hands." The procession of a quick peck of a kiss with a sensually gradual withdrawal was enough to entice a wisp of an exhale to tumble out from laxed, parted lips. 

"See? That's all I'm looking for." 

Flat palms smoothed the rigid fabric at his shoulders, one climbing up Nines' neck and resting there, fingertips delicately touching the sensitive skin of his nape. For just a moment, his eyelids shut to conceal his glazed-over cobalt eyes. That touch, that intimate touch he'd only allow Gavin to caress him with, reduced him to a pliable puppet, his bodily control no longer residing within his possession. 

_Perfect._

His fingers soon were found fiddling with the tall collar of his jacket, sending an inquisitive look Nines’ way before proceeding. Once he responded with an affirmative nod, Gavin wasted no time in easing the garment off of him, casting it to the floor for later retrieval. Instead of stealing another kiss, he placed his other hand upon his chest and began to mouth his jawline, an action that was met with a low grunt of pleasurable surprise. 

Never had Nines been blessed with the sensation of such tender yet firm caresses nor had he ever imagined in his wildest fantasies that he would find himself pitted below Gavin as he attacked the skin just below his jaw with blissfully hot kisses, taking another spot into his hungry mouth only when satisfied with the small mark he left upon the latter one. He was so used to control, so familiar with being in command of his own calculated reactions that now that his restraint had melted away, he was undoubtedly _thrilled_. 

“Take this off, will you?” While absolutely lost in the stimulation, Gavin’s hands had apparently slid down to the hem of his black turtleneck where they were currently impatiently tugging at the fabric. 

Not thinking much of the request, Nines complied, shedding the article and laying it to rest atop his jacket wordlessly. Unlike humans, androids were generally less shy and anxious about their figures; when crafted in the perfect image of a human male, there wasn’t much for him to be insecure about. Plus, a tough grasp on physical modesty was a principle that most lacked, which wasn’t always a good thing for their human companions. However, once his gaze met the lust-darkened one of Gavin, he couldn’t help but feel the beginnings of a nervous tremble, the source of his unease concerningly bewildering. He felt his skin crawl yet again, but it most certainly wasn’t the result of gratification. 

Nines ultimately failed to voice his disquietude, opting to remain silent instead, leaving Gavin completely unaware of a potential problem. The hand that once pressed against the previously clothed side of his neck tangled itself in his neat, chestnut colored hair. For hardly ten seconds longer, the grip remained tender and careful, his hand later clenching to violently grab a fistful of his hair as he yanked Nines’ head to the side, exposing more of his faintly freckled neck to glinting eyes. Pricks of a weak, sharp pain suddenly erupted from his scalp, but the initial, abrupt flash excited something deep inside him, the sensation still causing his blood to buzz wildly even after it partially subsided. 

(From his gained ability to experience genuine love and exhilarating hints of pain, deviancy had been awfully generous in its presentation.) 

The instantaneous squinting shut of his eyes and easily audible quick inhaling of an extra breath told Gavin all he needed to know: That fucker liked pain. Although he wasn’t much of a sadist himself, he had no problem with handling him roughly, but only as long he was okay with it; he didn’t want to scare him off on their first try so, he had to overall refrain from being anything but reposeful (he could, perhaps, sneak a little bit of harshness in there too) and steer clear of the explicitly kinky stuff—though he had already known that when initiating the erotic encounter. 

The more Gavin pressed heated kisses down his neck and nipped at his collarbone, the more Nines felt his previous jitters return, lingering just along the cusp of freezing into a solid, cold panic. His anxiousness was not a direct byproduct of the acts being performed on him, that much was for sure, but he still couldn’t quite place the catalyst. The mystery alone threatened to drive him insane. Eventually, he just couldn’t take it any more; he needed some time to reclaim his composure and uncover the truth behind the horrid feeling slinking its way through his wiring. 

“Gavin.” He tried his best to uphold his usual, authoritative tone, but nothing could’ve prevented the little quivering that broke through that cracking sheathe. 

He was quick to halt his progressions, wiping the extra saliva glistening on his chin away with the back of his hand before responding, “Yes?” 

“I-I... ” The words escaped him, leaving Nines a stammering mess as he endeavored to reach at least partial coherency. His LED finally changed its color, cycling to a worrying yellow. 

“Do you want me to stop?” 

Visible hesitation. Did he _want_ him to stop? Definitely not. Did he _need_ a few moments, possibly longer, to clear his head? Unfortunately. 

“It’s alright if you don’t want to do this right now. Just say the word and I’ll let you be.” 

The LED disc was now red. 

“I... I need a few moments to myself. Is that okay?” Gavin’s heart nearly shattered; Nines was really afraid that he wouldn’t respect his boundaries? However, it was more that he was terrified of disappointing his partner than a boundary thing. 

“Yes, it’s more than okay,” he assured, taking his hands into his own to further his message. “I’ll go take a shower while you figure out whatever you need to. If you need anything, I won’t be far.” 

Nines nodded, gaze falling to an unspecified location on the floor. “Thank you.” 

“There’s no need to thank me. If someone really loves their partner, they’ll wait until they’re ready, even if that time never arrives.” With that, he rose to stand up, flashing Nines a genuine smile before departing for his bathroom. 

Gavin’s sentiment stunned him into silence. 

Did he just profess his love? 


End file.
